NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Yale College students returned to Lee Amphitheater on Saturday night, and the Yale men's basketball team treated them to quite a show.
Azar Swain scored 19 points, including a pair of big baskets down the stretch, and Yale's defense was stifling in a hard-fought 58-55 victory over Harvard that completed a weekend sweep for the Bulldogs.
Yale (12-9) has won four straight games and sits atop the Ivy League standings with a 6-1 record.
And the large group of students that turned out certainly played a role in the outcome.
"That's what basketball and sports can do, galvanize a community," said
James Jones, The Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "All of [the students] feel like they were a part of the win, and they were."
It didn't come easily. The Bulldogs had a 27-14 lead at halftime but had to fight off a Harvard comeback in the second half. Every time the Crimson made a run, though, Yale had an answer. With the Crimson within five, 53-48, Swain hit a pull-up jumper from the top of the key with 1:35 left. Harvard answered right back, but Swain followed with almost an identical shot to give the Bulldogs a 57-50 lead with 42 seconds left.
Still, Harvard had a chance to tie late, but Noah Kirkwood missed a well-contested jump shot with four seconds remaining.
Isaiah Kelly then sealed the victory by making one of two free throws. The Crimson could only manage a desperation three-pointer from halfcourt that missed as time expired.
The victory completed an impressive weekend sweep for the Bulldogs, who beat Dartmouth 72-69 on Friday. Over the course of the two games, Yale had the lead for 70 of the 80 minutes.
Matt Knowling had another strong night for the Bulldogs against the Crimson, finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds.
Jalen Gabbidon added nine points, Kelly had eight points and three blocks and
EJ Jarvis scored six points and grabbed nine rebounds off the bench.
Yale, which leads the Ivy League in field goal percentage defense, limited the Crimson to 34.6 percent from the field, including 26 percent in the first half.
Kirkwood, Harvard's leading scorer, paced the Crimson with 21 points but was 7-of-20 from the field.
"He's a very good player," said Gabbidon, the 2020 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year who spent much of the night on Kirkwood. "We tried to make him work for his buckets and take him out of his rhythm."
Kirkwood was just 1-of-5 from three-point range.
The same two teams meet in Cambridge on Wednesday night. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m.
